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Jason tried to take advantage He stepped inside the giant’s guard and stabbed at his chest, but somehow Ephialtes parried the strike He sliced the tip of his spear down Jason’s chest, ripping his purple shirt into a vest Jason stu at the thin line of blood down his sternum Ephialtes kicked him backward

Up in the emperor’s box, Piper cried out, but her voice was drowned in the roar of the crowd Bacchus looked on with an a of Doritos

Ephialtes towered over Percy and Jason, both halves of his broken spear poised over their heads Percy’s sword arladius had skittered across the arena floor Their plan had failed

Percy glanced up at Bacchus, deciding what final curse he would hurl at the useless wine god, when he saw a shape in the sky above the Colosseu rapidly

Fro to warn his brother, but his half-dissolved face could only e: "Uh-umh-moooo!"

"Don’t worry, brother!" Ephialtes said, his eyes still fixed on the deo II turned in the sky, presenting its port side, and green fire blazed from the ballista

"Actually," Percy said "Look behind you"

He and Jason rolled away as Ephialtes turned and bellowed in disbelief

Percy dropped into a trench just as the explosion rocked the Colosseuo II was co Jason poked his head out from behind his improvised boroaning on the arena floor, the sand around hilass by the heat of the Greek fire Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatered over to Jason and clapped hi ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor Leo stood at the hele danced around the firing platfor, "That’s what I’ about!"

Percy turned to the emperor’s box "Well?" he yelled at Bacchus "Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little--"

"No need for that" Suddenly the god was standing right next to him in the arena He brushed Dorito dust off his purple robes "I have decided you are worthy partners for this co!"

Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd He raised his thyrsus

The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down Percy had never been sure whether that meant live or die He’d heard it both ways

Bacchus chose theoption He siant pile of Otisrated completely

The croild Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to Ephialtes, as still lying spread-eagled, overcooked and sain, Bacchus raised his thyrsus

"DO IT!" the crowd roared

"DON’T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed

Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes cruhosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadiu in the worship He grinned at the deods "That,I killed two giants!"

As Percy’s friends disehosts shiled down froan to turn into mist The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadiu for eons

"Well," Bacchus said "That was fun You have e"

"Your permission?" Percy snarled

"Yes" Bacchus raised an eyebrow "Although your voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune"

"Poseidon," Percy corrected hie?"

"You ," Bacchus said "Best place to break through Now, good-bye, ood luck with that other little od vaporized in a cloud of rape juice Jason ran to e trotted up to Percy, with Hazel, Frank, and Leo close behind "Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asked "I love that guy!"

"You’re alive!" Percy said to the others "The giants said you were captured What happened?"

Leo shrugged "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez You’d be airl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel"

"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly

"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screith the Archi to be awesome once I install it in the ship, by the way Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface We h for a weasel, and Frank cliether After that, it was just a e’s favorite satellite channels and telling hiot us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light show at the Colosseum"

Percy understood about ten percent of Leo’s story, but he decided it was enough since he had aquestion "Where’s Annabeth?"

Leo winced "Yeah, about that…she’s still in trouble, we think Hurt, broken leg,to this vision Gaea shown us Rescuing her is our next stop"